Do I really need to jailbreak anymore? I’ve been thinking about that question since I got my iPhone 4S about two months ago. I know this sounds sacrilegious on iDB, but think about it: do we reallyneed an untethered iOS 5 jailbreak?

After taking a step back from the jailbreak scene for awhile, I’ve realized that I don’t have a desire to jailbreak anymore. Why? I think that I’m waiting for the “next big thing.”

I’ve been jailbreaking for years, and I can’t remember the last time I didn’t have a jailbroken iDevice for more than a month. I love covering jailbreak apps and news on iDB, and I love the people in the jailbreak community and the innovation that jailbreaking spurs. I’ve invested countless hours into the jailbreak community, and part of my identity as a lover of technology and Apple is rooted there. I’m writing as someone who has been a jailbreaker and owns Cydia t-shirts, not someone who “kind of” jailbreaks every now and then for fun.

Since I got my iPhone 4S, I haven’t had a jailbreak for nearly two months. I’ve been using iOS 5 on all of my iDevices (iPad and iPhone) without a jailbreak since the software went public, and I’m not sure that I need to jailbreak again.

Apple added a ton of new features in iOS 5, including some of the jailbreak features I relied on before, like Xpandr. Besides biteSMS’s quick reply feature for messaging (which we all know Apple will implement eventually) and possibly a tweak like IntelliScreenX, I can’t find any tweaks that are worth jailbreaking for on iOS 5. I used to rely on MyWi and PdaNet for tethering, but now that carriers are cracking down on that activity, it’s not worth it for me anymore.

Notification Center answers a lot of the problems I had with the iOS notification system before, and while I’d like to install third-party widgets, I’m willing to wait until Apple officially opens up access to developers. While it would be “neat” to have folders inside folders and a scrollable dock, those types of tweaks aren’t necessarily worth jailbreaking for, are they? All of the little tweaks out there are just “neat” at the end of the day, not game-changing.

We’ve had a tethered and semitethered iOS 5 jailbreak since the software went public, and there’s been unprecedented anticipation for an untethered exploit that also works on iDevices with the A5 processor, like the iPad 2 and newly-released iPhone 4S. Why has the there been so much hype around the upcoming jailbreak? Perhaps it’s because of flagship iOS 5 tweaks, like IntelliScreenX, that have been making a splash. Or maybe it’s because many originally thought that jailbreaking would be nearly impossible after iOS 5, and an untethered exploit for all iDevices would reaffirm that jailbreakers are still in it for the long haul.

To put my predicament into plainer terms, I’ll address a question I get asked often by non-tech savvy friends.

Every once in awhile, a friend that knows what I do will ask me, “Why should I jailbreak my iPhone?” This question usually comes from friends that just bought an iPhone, or from someone that’s bored with their iOS setup.

For years, I have been able to give some sort of reason that usually justifies why I jailbreak, or why the person asking should jailbreak. Usually, only SBSettings, biteSMS, MyWi, and now IntelliScreenX can convince someone that jailbreaking is actually worth it. All of the smaller tweaks, like Infinidock and even 3G Unrestrictor, are cool, but they don’t convert potential jailbreakers by themselves. It takes something big or a lot of small tweaks to get someone to switch camps.

Recently, I’ve had a hard time justifying why I should jailbreak. This is mainly because I can’t think of enough jailbreak tweaks to justify losing several perks in iOS 5. I know that there’s workarounds for these issues, but I like being able to update iOS 5 over-the-air and restore from iTunes backups. For the past couple of months I haven’t had to worry about any of the downsides to jailbreaking. I haven’t had to worry about new tweaks crashing MobileSubstrate or random Springboard resprings. It’s been refreshing.

SBSettings has been one of the main things I’ve missed since I got my iPhone 4S. But now that there’s multiple ways to get quick access to system toggles without jailbreaking, I don’t miss the once-invaluable SBSettings as much. biteSMS’s quick reply feature for messages would be nice, but I can live without it.

Maybe I’m just bored with jailbreaking. Being able to change app icons and have system settings on the lock screen is nice, but it doesn’t have that “wow factor” anymore. I believe that many people jailbreak out of a philosophical conviction, and I totally understand that thought process. Apple has placed restrictions on what we can do with our iDevices, and jailbreaking frees us from those restrictions. I’m all for that type of creed, but like I’ve said, it’s all starting to get boring.

I’ve had multiple non-tech savvy friends tell me that they would jailbreak to run Siri on the iPhone 4. There are plenty of reasons why a Siri port isn’t in the picture right now, but I think that something like a Siri port is the “next big thing” that the jailbreak community needs.

Veterans will continue to jailbreak every version of iOS regardless of the benefits and downsides, but potential converts need something of substantial magnitude to make the decision. In the old days, people used to jailbreak because that was the only way to download third-party apps. Once Apple launched the App Store, the jailbreak community became appealing for other reasons, like the ability to unlock your iPhone for free. You could tether over 3G for free if you jailbroke, and you could theme iOS to make it look like anything from the Android OS to a Mountain Dew advertisement. The real geeks like to have access to the iOS filesystem, and jailbreaking makes that possible. And let’s be real; a lot of people still jailbreak to pirate apps.

For the more adventurous, including myself, jailbreaking hasn’t been about a specific feature, but rather all of them put together. For many, jailbreaking is about the ability to modify and extend the usefulness of iOS. While I totally align myself with that mentality, I still feel like my iPhone is waiting for the “next big thing.”

Been the same for me, I think it’s now just a whim , the feel of not having over the feeling of i carn’t have…but as the weeks go by i’am starting to like stock iOS …but as soon as a jailbreak is out …I think I’ll give it ago , it’s the little tweaks that make my device mine is what I want back…

If you don’t think you need to jailbreak, then you were never a true jailbreaker to begin with. I have only had my iPhone4S for a week and I am DYING for the jailbreak. This phone is garbage without it.

I’ve been jailbreaking from the first iPhone ..all the devices in my house our jailbroke ..all but my i4s…because it carn’t be…I’ve had this since the 2nd week of the release and I’ve got used to it being stock , yes i did miss the jailbreak at first , but after awhile your get used to it…there’s nothing I can do about it I’am no hacker ..but I’ve done my bit for the community and i hope to do more..
Ps why do you miss the jailbreak is it because you miss intallous ? Lol..

I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s garbage, but generally speaking I agree. When I bought my iP4 in 2/11, which was my first smartphone ever, I didn’t have it for more than a week before I started getting disgusted that apple hadn’t implemented some of the most basic features I eventually found after JB. I’m an organization nut when it comes to my phone and the limitations of only 12 apps in a folder and no folder in folder capability thoroughly enraged me so much I couldn’t even turn it on without a feeling of disappointment. However, after JB it’s my favorite gadget of all time. In addition to all the tweaks I wouldn’t want to live without for the functionality they offer (FolderEnhancer, SBSettings, Activator, Action Menu, AppsCenter, Deck, IntelliscreenX, KBShortcuts, PasswordPilot, Rich Text For Mail, Springtomize 2, and iFile, just at a glance), the customization options I get via Winterboard (in conjunction with iFile) and all the content available through it have allowed me to turn the generic iPhone I bought into MY iPhone; so unique to me that I’d bet cold hard cash that there isn’t another like it anywhere in the world. To me that’s what jailbreaking is all about; turning one of a billion into one in a billion. It’s the difference between driving a stock muscle car and a tricked out road warrior.

YH Neo

Wow I read your blog quite often, but I am sorry did you totally miss out activator?!!?!!?!!?!!!!? Its the biggest thing that’s missing, I can access just about everything that much faster and simpler just with a swipe or pinch.I made my home button obsolete. Come on man, as a sel respecting tech fan you should be able to at least appreciate what it does. Why do
we even need jailbreak anymore?.,.. Wow, just wow.

I’m very aware of Activator’s power, and I love it. But try explaining Activator to a non-techie as an incentive to jailbreak and see how far that gets you. Activator by itself isn’t winning over anyone.

Anonymous

The EXACT same thing happend to me last week.. I am a Cydia FREAK just like you, and I even made two themes that are on Cydia.
I installed a lot of packages on my iPod Touch and it got really slow and buggy… Also, I was really jealous of everyone that had iOS 5 (I know i can jailbreak tethered, I hate it)… Then I thought – iOS 5 is super mega awesome, and it’s worth restoring…
Guess what ? I restored it and i’m lovin’ it.

I Love Jailbreak, Jailbreak make the iphone the best device on the planet. I have 120 different tweaks, 150 themes, 50 lockscreens 250 applications….How can you live without Activator, SBSettings, Barrel, PKGBackup,FakeClockUp, Dreamboard, Winterboard, Backboard,Scrollingboard, iFile….just to name few. Don’t get it….Just becasuse you want to speak with Siri? No way !!! My opinion is wait for the iPhone 5 and keep my iPhone 4 with Jailbreak…I think is the best things to do

Anonymous

I think that Saurik should hire jailbreakers giving them money and all they want to make their jobs or else his business will fall.
Unfortunately we´re getting used to live without Jailbreak, that’s a fact.

Anonymous

Alex you are really intelligent and I like your line of thinking =)

Most people never really ask the question “Do I even really need to jailbreak anymore?”

I did recently once I got my 4S and came to the same conclusions you have… jailbreaking just isn’t worth it anymore.

As for my I’ve never been one to care about eye candy (winterboard/barrel) so the only real reasons to jailbreak my iPhone in the past has been the following:

1. SBSettings (I now use the Icon Project app to create settings toggles on home screen w/ out jailbreak)

2. Emulators (I got a NES usb-controller off of amazon and play emulators on my netbook instead now)

Excellent article and I must agree as well. I upgraded to iOS5 on my iPhone 4, but was experiencing severe battery drainage, so I downgraded back to iOS 4.2.1. I’m thinking of upgrading again, but don’t want to upgrade to iOS 5.0.1 due to the upcoming jailbreak (just to have options).

PS, for those who are complaining about this article… go get your own blog and readers.

Anonymous

I agree with the author in several points and I understand him because I was bored with the jailbroken iOS 5 at the beginning. Now that most of my tweaks/apps are working on iOS 5, I still love it. I am sure that the author doesn’t need that “next big thing” all he needs is to give a jailbroken iDevice on iOS 5 a chance and he’ll be OK.

By the way, this is one of the most intelligent and well written blogs about jailbreaking that I’ve read.

Congrats for having the ‘guts’ to share your thoughts on this issue. I upgraded to iOS 5 from a swapped out iPhone 4 by Apple. Initially I thought I could not survive without a jailbreak it was a real concern as I used many Cydia packages. iOS 5 addresses some big holes in the iOS. I really can live with a stock phone..it just works! Being a staunch advocate of jailbreaking I too feel a bit…..’meh’…about it all.
I haven’t updated to 5.0.1…just in case

I miss jail breaking because of open shh. Even though we can customize text tones and e-mail there are still other things I miss customizing like the lock/unlock, battery signal and such. Truthfully that’s the only reason why I would jail break again. Especially now that they are suppose to set up some rent a app thing to me unless you just want to steal others hard work there’s no reason for installous

Anonymous

I totally agree with you. After reading this article I realized that I don’t need to keep ios 5.0 an I upgraded to 5.0.1. I was running out of battery and a jailbreak isn’t necessary.

Anonymous

I NEED A JAIBREAK this post is just stupid who can live without a jailbreak NO ONE!!! We love jailbreak that’s why we love IDB so it doesn’t mean that if u post a looooong post on why u lost your interest on jailbreaking doesn’t mean that we all feel the same way and also by posting this maybe new jailbreakers or future jailbreakers might not want to jailbreak anymore not because they feel the same way it’s because of u!!!! Jailbreaking so long and giving them the wrong idea that jailbreak will do nothing ! I LOVE JAILBREAKING AND THE DEV TEAM!!!!!!

I dont think this is about “WOW this is awesome!” but more about “Oh hey, that’s useful! Why didn’t Apple implement this?”.

I can’t live without a jailbroken device – literally /live/. We spend every day, every minute with our phones. You want it to be doing what you need in your every day life.

bitesms: I need to send cheap international sms because not every one has whatsapp or imessages, or even 3g data at all times. Plus, bitesms has some great features like quick reply, private sms, scheduled sms etc.

SpeedIntensifier: God, those animations are slow! Waste of time.

DeleteWord: Seriously, how many times have you caught yourself deleting several words and just wished there was a faster way?

Sbsettings + IntelliscreenX: ’nuff said. Having quick access to my most used toggles like Airplane, wifi, rotation lock, personal hotspot, Bluetooth etc, is just great! There is nothing like that in iOS.

iFile: Now THAT is cool. Being able to modify the files on YOUR phone, is great. Think about it, remove annoying Ads from the internet and apps with a patched Hosts file, quickly move your video files from one app to the other.

And so many more, not-wow-but-small tweaks that make the iOS experience so much more pleasant (MultiIconMover anyone?).

Anonymous

Once apple gives us theming ability it is curtains for me and jail breaking.

Anonymous

Still, I would love to run XBMC app in iPad. Plex is nice, but missing a lot of features. So, yes, I would still jailbreak …

I really disagree with you and I think you shouldn’t be posting harmful articles.
There are hundreds of developers working on amazing Cydia tweaks, and also earning money from it.

Ever heard of Celeste? Backgrounder? Barrel? Dreamboard? Facebreak? Five Icon Dock? iFile? xx.emu? MxTube? QuickMP3? SwitcherMod?
Apple will (probably) never support these kind of amazing features due to their policies.

Plus, these new “toggle” icons on Springboard are NOT real toggles. They are just a goddamn link to the Settings page CONTAINING THE TOOGLE.

Anonymous

iPhone is an awesome device on it is own. But jailbreaking is what makes it stand out in the crowd. Without it, I’m certain that my intreset for iDevices wouldn’t have lasted so long. So, if there is no jailbreak, I will certainly get bored and I assume many others will too…

The jailbreak community is Apple’s iPhone BETA Testers, every Viable tweak is usually inter-graded in the next G iPhone. Think about it,,

Dan

I don’t care how great OS5 is, jailbreak gives me the opportunity to personalize the look of my phone, while adding many tools that help out in everyday use. Apple is usually too restrictive in this area so I will always jailbreak.

For me intelliscreenx is still essential, for the reasons you have stated, the built in messages+ quick reply, and the top shelf with toggles are still big things for me, but I do see your point, if/when apple implements those as well as intelliscreenx has done, I will be waiting for that next big thing to justify jailbreaking. Ota updates would be very nice if not!

In a way that just excites me though, I can’t wait to see what that thing will be! The jailbreak community constantly surprises me, Ive spent that last few weeks like a kid at Christmas waiting for the next intelliscreenx update. I can’t wait to get that with another tweak!

Anonymous

The only reason I jail broke my phone was for intelliscreen x and bitesms and then ONLY intelliscreen x because they introduced quick reply to the notification center. I don’t have any other jail break tweaks on my phone. Screw themes and all that other crap, I just like enhancements to what the os already offers. Once apple introduces a quick reply, I’ll be getting rid of intelliscreen x.

Anonymous

The only reason I jail broke my phone was for intelliscreen x and bitesms and then ONLY intelliscreen x because they introduced quick reply to the notification center. I don’t have any other jail break tweaks on my phone. Screw themes and all that other crap, I just like enhancements to what the os already offers. Once apple introduces a quick reply, I’ll be getting rid of intelliscreen x.

I’m very glad you wrote this. I’ve been feeling the same way since iOS 5, and I completely agree. You hit it directly on the head with the talk about when people ask you “Why should I jailbreak my iDevice?”. I’ve found it nearly impossible to answer that question. Maybe Apple has finally added most of what I need, or maybe I’m just growing sick of the cat and mouse game with jailbreakers & Apple. Just sick of tethered jailbreaks and having to worry each time a new iOS update is released.

Also, for whatever reason these people are mad about this article, is beyond me. Guess they must be in denial, or still stuck on a iPhone 3G.

I’m very glad you wrote this. I’ve been feeling the same way since iOS 5, and I completely agree. You hit it directly on the head with the talk about when people ask you “Why should I jailbreak my iDevice?”. I’ve found it nearly impossible to answer that question. Maybe Apple has finally added most of what I need, or maybe I’m just growing sick of the cat and mouse game with jailbreakers & Apple. Just sick of tethered jailbreaks and having to worry each time a new iOS update is released.

Also, for whatever reason these people are mad about this article, is beyond me. Guess they must be in denial, or still stuck on a iPhone 3G.

Yes but MyWi shares your wifi connection …. correct me if I’m wrong but nothing outside the jailbreak arena does that!?! I jailbreak for that facillity alone!! In fact Im hanging on to me ‘old’ jailbroken i4 purely for that reason!!

Kok Hean

I have to say, when I first read this article, I thought that you were talking rubbish. I was jailbroken on iOS 4.3.3 that time. I thought to myself, how can anyone live without a jailbreak? There are so many Cydia tweaks that I depend on! Then, I updated to iOS 5 yesterday as I was tired of my phone freezing up and entering Safe Mode. I set up iCloud, wireless syncing, and a bunch of other options like iMessage. And guess what? I don’t really need a jailbreak! I mean, I can have it semi tethered but after trying it, I was certain that I can live without a jailbreak. SBSettings is one of the things that I really miss but I’ll get over it. iOS 5 really contains a lot of features that the jailbreak community offered back in the old days. But I’ll jailbreak my phone when the public untethered jailbreak for iOS 5 is released. Why? Because I can. I want my device to be different. I want to be able to do what ever I want with my phone. Therefore, what I am trying to say is that although iOS 5 has a lot of features, there is never enough. The more features Apple adds, the more people demands. Therefore, Apple did not release the iPhone 5 yet. iOS 5 has very little compatible tweaks for Cydia as compared to iOS 4.3.3. When the 3.1.3 jailbreak for the iPhone 3GS was released, there were a lot of tweaks that can be installed. I don’t mean a few, I meant A LOT. Most of the tweaks work on 3.1.3. When iOS 4 was released and jailbroken, tweaks were being modified to be compatible with iOS 4. At that time, I couldn’t bear to part iOS 3 because of the Cydia tweaks that I have installed. However, after much frustration with the fact that I cannot install most of the App Store apps, I decided to update to iOS 4.1, when the GreenPois0n jailbreak was out. After that, when the jailbreak for iOS 4.2.1, I was upset, because many tweaks were compatible with iOS 4.2.1 and not 4.1. So, after waiting, I took the plunge and updated to iOS 4.3.3. I restored a couple of time because of some conflicting Cydia packages. Cydia was NOT as stable as it was as 3.1.3. After enjoying all of the tweaks, my phone became extremely slow. I was not ready to have a tweak-free phone. But after updating to iOS 5, I realized that I indeed can live without a jailbreak. I purchase apps and music too. And now, I too am waiting for the “next big thing” from the jailbreak community that would make me want to immediately jailbreak my phone again.

Kok Hean

DO NOT TLDR THIS!

Anonymous

I dare say this is a rather unpopular view. At least it is with me and many people I know and have encountered online, who await with bated breath a release of an untethered jailbreak solution for the 4s.

While I agree with you that Apple have done some nice things with the latest version of iOS, it is still the very fact that they’re locking us down to what they believe we need and want that I also eagerly await the freedom of jailbeak.
While some of the features and improvements they’ve made to the interface and experience are indeed useful and some even long-overdue, it is still not a completely usable device, and it really irks me that Apple think they have any right to dictate what usability is. The very fact that they locked down the ability to link to settings pages–which was an incredibly simple solution to improve usability and efficiency–from the springboard proves that they believe they know better than we do how the device should be used. It’s not about security, I can’t see any way that anyone could abuse that kind of functionality for nefarious purposes and even if they did, I’m sure they could address it in a different manner.
Another example, and my biggest gripe, is this ridiculous notion that springboard folders can/should only ever hold 12 app icons, and that folders should not be stacked. What kind of ridiculous argument brought about that incredibly short-sighted and ignorant design idea? Could it be that perhaps they believe that most people are incredibly forgetful or have short attention spans that they won’t be able to remember where they stored an app? I don’t know about you, but I have a decent enough memory and quite proficient problem-solving skills that I’m able to track down an app icon if it isn’t visible. I’m not an idiot and don’t need my devices to treat me like I am. And isn’t that what Spotlight is supposed to address anyways?
Or is it perhaps that they believe the device can’t handle it? This again was proven false by several jailbreak tweaks that greatly improve the usability and experience of the device.

…

I could truly go on about this but had better not. Ultimately it all comes down to control. Plain and simple. I see Apple as having all the traits of an incredibly obsessive control freak. If it were an individual, it would be certifiable and no doubt forced to undergo treatment.

Anonymous

I totally agree with the author’s oppinion. Since iOS 5 beta was published and until about two weeks ago I used to have the tethered one which was really a mess.
I felt like a criminal with electric monitoring on his feet. With every reboot you must have a computer in your near, the springboard crashed again and again if some tweaks
were just quick and dirty coded and – my favourite – some Cydia ‘developers’ do think that it is not so important to mention how their tweak/pkg has to be installed and what happens if
you want to uninstall it, etc.
Especially the ‘developers’ behind SiriN1ght blowed my head. Through installation if this package they remove ALL keyboards except the english one and after installation you have to
reboot first and then reinstall MobileSubstrate – otherwise none of the other tweaks will work. They didn’t tell anything about that in the package description which was
really annoying. And if you want to remove the package you have to restore your device. A day too late and I could not restore to 5.0 but had to update to 5.0.1 – well done!
BTW I really doubt that they will ever release a working Siri port for older devices. It’s quite calm around that corner.

This little story tells a lot about the developement in the jailbreak scene. More and more developers (or guys who think they are) push out to the iOS platform.
But mass does not mean quality (and if You are a Mac user You already knew that 😉 ).

The one and only thing I’m really missing are my SBSettings. IntelliScreenX showed us what’s possible but it was a little bit too much information on my lock screen and drain in my battery.
As a 3GS user I prefer a clean and simple look which agrees to my battery.
We all saw that there are other ways to have some handsome shortcuts to system settings like WiFi etc (ok – in 5.1 they block the URLs and this possibility is gone too, but let’s wait and see –
maybe they surprise us with similar toggles).
My girlfriends is proud owner of a 4s. If CDT releases an untethered jb for that devices a gonna rethink of course. And my Apple TV 2 I remains jailbroken 😉

I tend to agree, i miss IntelliScreenX and biteSMS but for the most since having the 4S i can live with it as it is.
Swiping to NC from lock screen is a must in the next update, and SMS direct reply would be great but not too much of a problem.

Great write up 🙂

Joshua Kaiser

I agree with this article. I recently purchased a new iPod touch 4g after my other one broke and I don’t see the point to jailbreak anymore. The only thing I really miss is iFile and SBSettings, but I can live without them. Notification Center has really fixed the problem of intrusive notifications. I’m not sure I’m even gonna jailbreak again once it is untethered for iOS 5.x.x because it’s also a major drain on battery life if you have tweaks and Winterboard installed.

Joshua Kaiser

Nevermind, i jailbroke it as soon as the untethered was released. lol xD

I’ve been jailbreaking for four years now, but have also decided to stop. My reasons are somewhat different from yours.

Although I disagree with Apple’s monopoly on what you can install on your iphone, their quality requirements have ensured that apps work as they should. With the jailbreak community this isn’t true. I have increasingly found that you install an app that should work on your iPhone only to find it crashes your device to the point that you have to completely restore. This is not acceptable, especially since many jailbreak apps are as expensive as those found in the app store.

I also take issue with Cydia. Cydia is a developer centric app store. It provides no benefit for the user only for the developer. There is no commenting or rating system for users to let others know whether an app works or whether it trashes your iPhone. There’s also no easy way of letting Cydia know that apps are problematic and should not be made available.

Although the jailbreak community may have issues with Apple’s monopoly, there are significant “unfair” practices within the jailbreak community. I have noticed that apps that block adverts in other apps don’t work in Cydia. Why not? They have just as much tasteless advertising as anyone else. For that matter none of the system tweaks work in Cydia, it’s as though Cydia is above all other apps and takes on Apple’s role of saying you can’t run this here. Then there’s the licensing of apps. With apple you can run each app on multiple devices connected to your account. Many jailbreak apps will only run on a single device. The app serial number is connected to the iPhone serial number. Should you replace your iPhone you need to purchase another licence. Development and upkeep of apps is also an issue. You may purchase an app that just won’t work with the next ios or may work 6 months down the line when the developer can get it updated.

Finally, jailbreaking is just a hassle. Updating is complicated as you need to make sure you have backed up all our data and if the process doesn’t quite go as intended then it could take you a day to get your iPhone up and running again.

I know this sound like a completely negative about jailbreaking. I think the iPhone dev team have done a superb job in jailbreaking these devices and applaud them in their efforts. However, it’s not just about having a jailbroken device it’s about functionality. This is far from smooth and easy. My comments in the main are aimed at the jailbreak app developers and especially Cydia, that just hasn’t moved with the pace of jailbreak software. We are no longer talking of mainly free tweaks and winterboard themes. We are talking about paid apps every bit as expensive as Apple’s app store, but not guaranteed to work and worse in that it may stop the whole thing from working.

If jailbreaking is to survive in the main and not just for a few that always hack their devices, then things need to change. Cydia needs to introduce a more rigorous testing system so users know that anything on the store will work and that users are not playing minesweeper with the next app they download which will send their device into oblivion. Licensing needs to be addressed to make it fair on the user as well. A rating and commenting system needs to be introduced as well as a complaint if an app is not what it should be.